The gates of Babli Barrage across the river Godavari near Dharmabad in Nanded district of Maharashtra were opened on Tuesday in tune with the directions of the Supreme Court to release 0.6 tmc ft of water stored in the barrage for drinking water needs downstream in Telangana.
Following a dispute between Maharashtra and combined Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court had ruled in 2013, while clearing the project by setting aside the objection of combined AP against the barrage, that the gates of the barrage be kept open from July 1 to October 28 every year so that the riparian rights of people downstream are not affected, particularly during the deficit monsoon years.
The apex court had also ruled that another 0.6 tmc ft water too should be released on March 1 every year to meet the drinking needs downstream now in Telangana. The barrage is located only 30 km away from Maharashtra-Telangana border and the water reaches the Telangana territory only when the river course is not dry completely.
As there has been good flood in Godavari this water year (June 2021-May 2022), the river course still has some water and would help carry the water released at Babli into Telangana, irrigation authorities of the State said. Sriramsagar project, the first and major storage facility across Godavari in Telangana has received about 677 tmc ft of water this water year.
Executive Engineer of the Central Water Commission N. Srinivas Rao, Executive Engineer of Nanded Irrigation Division of Maharashtra A.S. Chougle and Deputy Executive Engineer of Sriramsagar Project S. Sukumar were present on the occasion of Babli gates’ lifting.
